Boyfriend of Jeanenne Fontaine tells court he sold drugs out of her house, owed money over bad drug deal

Boyfriend of Jeanenne Fontaine tells court he sold drugs out of her house, owed money over bad drug deal

The boyfriend of Jeanenne Fontaine testified Wednesday that he was selling drugs out of the home where she was shot, and that he was on the hook for a drug deal gone wrong just two weeks before she died.

Monte Bull testified in fourth day of manslaughter trial for two accused in Fontaine’s shooting death

Jeanenne Chantel Fontaine died March 15, 2017, after she was shot inside her home on Aberdeen Avenue. The home was then set on fire, and she was pulled from the blaze by emergency responders. (ObitTree)

The boyfriend of Jeanenne Fontaine testified Wednesday he was selling drugs out of the home where she was shot, and that he was on the hook for a drug deal gone wrong just two weeks before she died.

Monte Bull was in Court of Queen's Bench for the fourth day of the trial for Christopher Brass and Jason Meilleur, who have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges in Fontaine's death.

On March 14, 2017, Jeanenne Fontaine was shot in the back of the head inside her home on Aberdeen Avenue near Salter Street. The house was then set on fire.

She was pulled from the burning building but died in hospital the following day.

This photo, shown on Jan. 7, 2019, at the trial for two men accused of manslaughter in connection with the death of Jeanenne Fontaine, shows the aftermath of an Aberdeen Avenue house fire. Fontaine was shot in the house, which was then set on fire on March 14, 2017. (Court exhibit)

Bull, who spoke in a low, raspy voice, told the court that he sometimes sold drugs out of Fontaine's home on Aberdeen Avenue when they were seeing each other.

About two weeks prior to Fontaine's death, Bull said he got a call from a man he knew named Jay about how someone who worked for Bull had been selling fake drugs out of the house.

He said he later learned the drugs had been sold to Jay's girlfriend. Bull said he told Jay he would "take care of it," and paid back about half the debt, which was worth about 17 points of methamphetamine.

A point of methamphetamine is usually worth about $10 on the street.

Boyfriend thought debt was 'squashed'

Bull said there was no discussion about when he would pay off the rest of the debt, and said Jay's girlfriend later told him not to worry about it when he ran into her, so he thought the debt was "squashed."

When Crown prosecutor Geoffrey Bayly asked Bull if he would be able to recognize Jay, Bull said he had only seen him in the dark, wearing a hoodie.

On Tuesday, the victim's brother, Vincent Fontaine, told the court that on the morning his sister was shot, three men came to the home, asking for Bull.

When Fontaine told the trio that Bull wasn't there, they went to talk to Jeanenne instead, he told the jury.

Not long after, when he was in the kitchen, Fontaine said he heard a gunshot, then saw one of the men come into the kitchen and dump garbage on their stovetop.

This photo, shown on Jan. 7, 2019, at the trial for two men accused of manslaughter in connection with the death of Jeanenne Fontaine, shows the aftermath of an Aberdeen Avenue house fire. Fontaine was shot in the house, which was then set on fire on March 14, 2017. (Court exhibit)

Bull was brought into court Thursday from Stony Mountain Penitentiary. He was supposed to have testified Wednesday, but refused to come in.

When defence lawyer Theo Mariash asked why, Bull said he "didn't see the point, because I wasn't there."

Bull also gave conflicting testimony about whether or not Jay pointed a gun at him, at first saying that he did, but then under cross-examination saying he didn't.

Meilleur is being represented by defence lawyers Mariash and Trang Ly, while Brass is being defended by Tara Walker and Mitch Mraovic. Bayly and prosecutor Michael Desautels are representing the Crown.

On Monday, the first day of the trial, Bayly said the Crown intends to prove that Brass and Meilleur went to Fontaine's home that day with a third man, Malcolm Miles Mitchell, to try to collect a drug debt owed by her boyfriend.

They thought the boyfriend would be at the home, but when he wasn't, the trio tried to rob Jeanenne Fontaine, Bayly told the court. It was during the course of the robbery that Fontaine was shot, Bayly alleged.

About the Author

Sarah Petz

Reporter, CBC Manitoba

Sarah Petz is a reporter with CBC Manitoba. She was previously based at CBC New Brunswick. Her career has taken her across three provinces and includes a stint in East Africa. In 2017, she was part of a team of reporters and editors nominated for a National Newspaper Award for a feature on the Port of Saint John in New Brunswick. She can be reached at sarah.petz@cbc.ca.